Need you like my Next Breath
by Em Tornado
Summary: "Its just... I've hurt you so much, and yet you are the only person who could piece my puzzle back together." Jace questions himself on why Clary loves him so much, and who better than Clary to answer this question for him?


**Hi guys! Its Em again and this is a new oneshot I wrote for TMI and this one strictly clace. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **BTW, I do not own The Mortal Instruments.. All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

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I was staring numbly at the ceiling from my bed. Many thoughts plagued my mind, and I wanted to keep it that way, as I was scared, _very_ scared, of delving into one of them. Yet, it happened anyway.

 _Why does she still trust me?_ How _does she still trust me?_

I remembered the night when I told her that I needed convincing that she loved me. I remembered how she let me put those horrible runes on her by saying that those were the runes of love and marriage. I also thought about how I really wanted to put the real runes of love on her body as I worshiped her now. And I remembered how she could still tell me that she loved me, after all I put her through.

"Jace?" the person about whom all my thoughts were about called, poking her small head inside the door. "You awake?"

I smiled at her as I sat on my bed, my thoughts clearing away at the mere sight of her.

My Clary.

"Even if I were asleep I would wake up for you, Clary. C'mere." She came into my arms faster than you could say Clarissa Adele Herondale. My smile became a grin just at the thought of that being her name.

"Why are you still not asleep?" She asked me. I shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep. What about you? Why are you not asleep?"

"I wanted to activate a rune on you actually…"

"Yeah? Which one?"

"The stamina rune," she answered with the mischievous smile.

She must have used her extra powers, because I had never had this much stamina in me in my entire life.

-LINE BREAK-

Clary's head was resting on my arm as she lazily drew patterns on my bare chest with her light, artist's fingers. We had just finished with some mind-blowing sex, and somehow, both of us were still awake.

"I love you, Jace," She whispered sweetly. "I love you so much that it almost hurts."

I shifted a little so I could look into her green eyes. "I love you too, Clary. So much that it _does_ hurt."

She laughed, a little tinkering sound that could melt the most frozen hearts.

There were two fronts to this wonderful creature. One was this, the soft one. The one that loved me and all the others- Izzy, Simon, Magnus, her mom, Luke,and even Alec.

The other one was the hard one. The one all her enemies, and the people she didn't like saw. The one who could kill a demon without blinking an eye. That was the front that even I was scared of. But both these fronts had something common- the ferocity in both of them.

She could Love fiercely, and she could kill fiercely.

And I was scared that one day she would realize how messed up I was, and stop the furious loving she had for me.

"Mmmm. What are you thinking, Jace," She asked me.

I sighed.

"Why do you love me, Clary?"

She shot up to a sitting position, the blanket covering her naked self falling down. My gaze didn't waver from her eyes. Except for _maybe_ a little flicker.

"From where is this coming from Jace? And why in the angel would you ever ask me why I love you!? Me loving you is… my base. Without you, I didn't think I'd be able to live." Silent tears started to make their way through her cheeks, and her eyes shone with honesty, love and the pain from the one question I asked her. "Don't ever ask me that again," she finally whispered.

"Hey, come here," I said, pulling her head towards my shoulder. I lightly put it there as gently, her tears went away.

"I didn't mean to be over- dramatic, you know. Sorry," came her muffled voice.

I laughed.

"Why did you ask me that, Jace?" She asked me, pulling back to look at me.

I shook my head. "Its just that…I've hurt you so much. Putting those runes on you," Her eyes widened a little as she remembered the night I was talking about, "disappearing with Sebastian and being the way I had become, and just causing you so much pain," I said and shook my head., "And yet you, and you alone, managed to piece my heavily jumbled puzzle together."

"Of course I did that!" She burst out. "I admit, loving you was… difficult. But still, we managed, didn't we? Always remember, Jace," She took my face into her small hands, "Nothing and nobody can ever, ever stop me loving you. I'll be there for you. I swear on us."

"I swear on us too."

We settled into a comfortable position again, and she slept immediately, finally tired. I watched her sleep for a moment then whispered to her, "I need you like I need my next breath, Clary."

And I could have sworn that she smiled and said "I know."

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 **Did you like it, or was it not too good? Please Read and Review, but no flames please... all critic review is greatly apreciated, though.**

 **Thanks, and Bye!**

 **Love, Em**


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